Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-09-24
A CYCLONE.
WIND AND RAIN PLAY HAVOC II
TRxAs.
Trees uprootsd and Houses Blown Down
Ineslculable Damage to Crops
Cattle Killed, &C.
Lpr ,elorraph % the plspaich.l

W CuncSuaN hSHt, c'ItSlng uSSttuCtiOu
in its path. The rain accompanying
the storm deluged the country for
miles. 1hc loss in property and crops
is very great, Int cannot yet be esti-
mated. Thus far no lives are reported
lost. The village Of Santa Cruz, OPP
posito Brownsville, was entirely sub
merged for several hours. The Rio
Gande rose rapidly and ragged like the
sea, and the back water ovcrtIowed
many miles Of the fertile country. The
wind reached a velocity over eighty
miles an hour. blowing o perfect hnr-
rcane for couple Of hours. The rain
fail daring Wednesday night, 10y ac-
tnal measurement, reached ten inches,
The foods did almost as much
damage as the wiad. Hardly a tree
was left standing in the vicinity OF the
city, and several hundred acres OF
valuable sugar.cane was blown flat TO
the earth. The roof OF the Masonic
Hall WAS carried gway. Scanlon's large
warehouse was demolished, and many
private residences were unroofed and
had their contents ruined 10y the heavy
rain. Many Mexican families whose
frail houses were toppled over were
cared for by the citizens and comiorta-
blv lodged in public buildings. The
telegraph wires were prostrated, and
the extent OF damage south and west
Of here along the Rio Grande is not
yetknowls
Loss ESTIMATED AT $1,0OO,OOO.
NEW ORLEANS, September 23.-A
spccial 10 the Times Democrat from
brownsville. Texas, gives q full account
Of the fearful storm there and at Matl-
moras. The damage in that section is
estimated al ~. zoe, 900. In Browns
VILE seventy small houses were blown
down and 300 others unrOofed and rem
dcred unfit for occupation. In Mata-
noras "a dozen houses Of the better
class and from $50 to 200 small houses
were Frustrated by the wind, while
from 400 To 800 others were unroOfcd.
I'm the country on the American side of
the river incalculablc damage was done.
Countless heads of cattle and sheep
were lost and crops of cotton, corn, and
sugar-cane were completely Frustrated
and destroyed.
HOW TIE NIOhM tA1lG ONs
BROWNSVILLE, TEX, Soptcmber23.-
The hurricane appears to have become
regular visitor 10 this coast. Night
before last another made destructive
descent upon the two cities of Browns
Vile and Matamoras. just about one
year and a day had passed since the
chuhasco Of 1886, and the remlindero Of
the FUNDS collected for the relief Of
sufferers by the storm WAS being dis
tributcd, when threatening signs Of the
approach Of another Of these awful
visitors were noted. The telegraph
scverGl days ago gave notice of hur-
licaIc southwest of Havana and moving
this way, and for two or three days the
weather indications showed the APP
proach of the storm. Though the
barometer and tide in the Gulf usually
give warning Of coming bad weather,
tins storm gave no indication of its
immediate approach. at Q o'clock
Tuesday evening the norther that had
been blowing for several days increased
in fercencss. with heavy gusts OF rain,
and IN a short time hurricane was on
tie town in It's iul' force, tho wind
reaching in the heighf Of the storm a
velocity Of soyenty-o ght miles an
hour. All night long it continued,
tie bowling being mingled now and
then with the crash OF falling house,
the rcnding sound Of falling trees, the
rattling Of fences as they went over, or
the shouts of those deserving their
crumbling residences or imploring aid.
The morning dawned on
A SCENE OF DRsOLATION.
The water filed the streets through
which the roaring north wind drove tho
rain like great volloys OF small shot.
Fallen trees, ruins of houses, and fallen
fences, all half-submerged in water,
rendered passage dillicalt and at times
dangerous. At 2:3O p. NJ. the wind
lurod, and there was almost dead
calm until 1870 =. NJ, when the wind
came from the south This shows that
the vortex of hurricanes, as was the
case If those of 1850 and 1886, passed
directly over this section.
About 9 Z. NJ. the wind again be
came violent, coming this time from
the south, and continued until this
morning, when the hurricane may be
snid 10 have ceased. The duration Of
the storm may be safely calculated at
thirty.fye hours. The wind was from
northeast veering TO northwest at the
beginning, and from southwest during
the latter half.
AS COMPARED WITH FORMER STORMS,
the rainfall was very heavy, being
1910 inches. Average temperature was
=. Tn velocity OF the wind, while 1t
registered greater than that OF the hur-
ncane of last year, did not appear to
show its force during the sudden gusts.
The diameter of the storm was much
greater and its duration was longer
than either that of 1886 or 1880. The
force was greater than that OF the blow
Of the former, but not so great as that OF
The one Of 1880. TIE fact that the bulk
Of the people were better prepared for
lis coming, and that weaker buildings
had been swept away By the storm OF
last year, was the only reason for ITS
not being more destructive. The
damage in the country outside OF the
two cities is iucalc1ilable. Countless
calle and sheep have been lost, and
crops Of cotton. CON, and sngar-cane
are completely Frustrated and destroy
cd. One ranchef on small place cal
culaios his loss in cotton alone as S2O,-
O0O, and many others are equally as
heavy losers. TIE total losses will be
far beyond 100000.
TIE roOR THE GREATEST SUFFERERS.
In Brownsville the chief sufferers
were among the poor. Between sixty
and eighty jacobs, or cheaper classes oil
dwellings. have been blown down, and
fully three hundred have been partially
unroofed and rendered uninhabitable.
Almost all Of the better class OF houses
leaked. Rapbacls magnificent resi-
dence and elegant furniture were badly
damaged, and many Others suffered
similarly. Large numbers Of fenceswere
blown down, and almost every fence
was more or less damaged. Mag
nifcent sbade-trees were scattered
in fragments or overturned. A
barge and steam launch at the ferry
landing were sunk. The boats OF the
ferry company we're saved with great
difficulty. The telegraph wire to Point
Isabel is down aud It is not known nov
tbipcs are there. There were III port